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A huge ‘congratulations’ to Jenny McCabe are in order, who has been successful in securing our new Patient Safety and Governance role.

This is an important new role that will strengthen how we maintain oversight of the quality and safety of the care we provide. Jenny will support the review of incidents, audits and emerging themes; help us turn learning into meaningful improvements; and provide greater coordination across our policies, action plans and assurance processes.

A key part of the role will be working alongside teams to promote an open and supportive safety culture—one where we learn together, share good practice and continually improve the care and experience of our babies, children, young people and families.

Jenny brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and commitment to the role, and I know she will make a real difference.

Congratulations, Jenny, on your well-deserved appointment – we’re looking forward to supporting you as you begin this exciting new chapter at the end of the month.

Staff wellbeing

CT opened the forum by acknowledging that it has been a difficult period with the loss of a number of well-known young people in the hospice.

Danny Schofield (DS) acknowledged that there have been several recent deaths of children and young people, and that a range of support is already available within the hospice, including team briefs, catch-ups and debriefs. DS asked whether staff felt there was anything further that could be offered during difficult periods and invited Fazila Vaida (FV) to lead the discussion.

FV opened the conversation by acknowledging that the support already in place is valued and important, while noting that some options can feel more formal. FV asked whether staff felt there were other ways they could be supported to process difficult experiences.

Staff discussed the importance of having access to a quiet private space away from public areas, particularly for colleagues who may need time to decompress during or after emotionally difficult moments. The diner was recognised as a positive shared space where people can come together at mealtimes and feel part of the wider team, but staff also noted that a separate space for reflection would be beneficial.

There was a discussion about how a private space could be provided, with ideas including using the sibling pod on a bookable basis and the redistribution of workspace that is happening around the hospice.

The upstairs staff room was also discussed, although it was felt that this space is mainly suitable for changing and would not fully meet the need for a quiet area to decompress.

Everyone thought that having the sibling pod as a bookable space would be a good idea.

CT noted that the care team have more regular experience of supporting children, young people and families at end of life, and may therefore have developed helpful tools and approaches. CT asked whether any of this learning could be shared with non-clinical colleagues to support them too.

VR explained that the community team regularly have informal debriefs. They all come together to discuss what happened and how people are feeling. VR wondered whether it would be a good idea to extend this to the rest of the staff.

It was agreed that debriefs would be opened to all staff where appropriate, so colleagues across the hospice can access informal support following difficult events.

Karen Leigh-Whiston (KLW) asked whether the Community Team would be happy to facilitate this themselves, or whether it would be more appropriate for an external facilitator to be brought in.

The Community Team agreed that the informal nature of the sessions works well and helps create a comfortable environment.

Vicky Robinson (VR) suggested having the iPads available with Dojo accessible, allowing people to look through photos and share memories of the BCYP.

CT acknowledged that everyone processes situations differently and that individual needs should be recognised.

FV concluded by agreeing that having a private space where people can take some time for themselves would be beneficial.

Values

KLW advised that the organisational values have now been agreed and formally signed off.

The DERIAN acronym will remain in place; however, throughout the consultation process, three overarching themes consistently emerged: Safe, Compassionate, and Accountable.

These will therefore become the organisation’s core values, supported by the DERIAN values:

D – Dedicated.

E – Empowered.

R – Reliable.

I – Inclusive.

A – Ambitious.

N – Nurturing.

KLW explained that work is now underway to embed these values into everyday practice. This will begin with the recruitment process and continue throughout induction, supervision, and appraisal processes.

Staff were then invited to share ideas on how the values could be incorporated into day-to-day working.

Staff suggested a range of ways to keep the values visible and meaningful, including displaying them more prominently in the workplace, creating a display board for each value, incorporating them into reflective practice, recognising colleagues through value-based nominations, including them in regular catchups, and introducing a ‘Value of the Month’.

There was also discussion about presenting the values through video content to help bring them to life.

Strategy

CT advised that the strategy is now ready to be shared with the wider team. She did not go into detail at this stage, as three sessions have been arranged to introduce the strategy. Staff will be encouraged to take part and contribute to shaping how it is delivered.

CT also provided an update on Incident 375, advising that the inquest has been rescheduled to later in the year. She explained that some families have started to ask questions and advised staff that a crib will be prepared to support them in responding appropriately, should they receive any enquiries. Staff were also reminded to follow the usual media enquiries procedure by directing any press enquiries to CT and the Communications Team.

New roles and opportunities

DS advised that the Care Team has experienced a period of growth, with several new colleagues joining the team, including Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs), nurses and Clinical Support Workers (CSWs).

A new housekeeper will also be joining the team shortly, alongside a volunteer art therapist for the summer and a student counsellor.

DS advised that vacancies for a Hydro Pool Coordinator and a Music Room Coordinator will be advertised shortly. Staff were encouraged to share these opportunities with anyone who may be interested.

KLW added that the Finance Team is currently interviewing for vacancies. Recruitment is also underway for a Head of Communications, Community Team nurses and Clinical Support Workers (CSWs).

Any other business

Sam Lamb (SL) provided an update on the Estates projects. The fire door works are nearing completion, with only the pool doors and some snagging work remaining. Staff were asked to report any fire door issues or snags to SL. Compartmentation works are continuing.

Work on the hoists has now commenced, except for the pool hoist.

The Forest School project is also due to begin, with a company funding and constructing the facility.

Approval is currently being sought for the Lodge courtyard project.

There is some snagging work to complete on the electric doors, work on the lift is ongoing, and staff are reminded to complete the required training for the lone worker app.

Sarah Proctor (SP) provided an update on the lottery, sharing that there had recently been a £10,000 winner, with CT making the call to notify them.

CT shared the winner’s story, explaining that her daughter is a talented cello player. The winner supports the lottery because her sister, who sadly passed away, was previously a music therapist at Derian House. She felt the win was a meaningful tribute to her sister, allowing her to purchase a high-quality cello for her daughter and treat the family to a holiday.

SP advised that staff are welcome to support with winner calls if they are interested. Karen Smith (KS) recently contacted a £1,000 winner who, after learning more about the work of Derian House, chose to donate the prize money back to the charity.

CT also provided an update on Derian Wishes, advising that the initiative has generated significant interest. While many wishes have involved technology, there have also been several unique requests, including playing darts with Luke Littler and drumming with the Courteeners.

The forum discussed ways in which the wishes initiative could also support families with practical day-to-day needs, such as house cleaning, garden maintenance and help with managing household tasks, recognising that these can become increasingly difficult for some families. Opportunities to provide this support through FL and corporate volunteers are being explored. There was also discussion around introducing volunteer drivers to help families attend appointments and events at Derian House when transport is a barrier, as well as supporting travel for holidays and assisting volunteers attending events.

Hi everyone,

We have secured a Royal Marsden subscription which means all staff now have access to the Royal Marsden Manual Online, one of the world’s most popular resources on clinical skills and procedures for nurses.

With over 300 detailed procedures, this comprehensive resource presents the evidence and underlying theory alongside full-colour illustrations and photographs, and includes coverage of infection prevention and control, oxygen therapy, tracheostomy: dressing and tube tapes/ties change, nutrition, stoma bag replacement, medicines management, and much more.

You can access this resource by following the link below or the QR code and there is also a link for it on the intranet – education tab

USERNAME – derian

PASSWORD – dhch@2026

Royal Marsden Manual Online   (you may be prompted to verify this link through mimecast)

Hi everyone,

Like many organisations, here at Derian House we are considering our use of AI tools and mapping out how we use them safely and effectively.

Many of you will already use AI as part of your work and we are currently drawing up a policy and procedures to make sure we are using this new technology in a way that keeps our family and donor data safe, and also helps us save time.

We will be looking at doing some training with colleagues in the near future around AI and how to get the most out of it. To help make sure the training is tailored to us, it would be good to understand how we currently use it, and what we’d like to do in future.

With that in mind, please could you take a couple of minutes to answer these questions, and email your answers back to me:

Name:

Role:

1. What AI tools do you currently use at work? (e.g. ChatGPT, CoPilot etc)
2. What tasks do you use AI for?
3. Would you be interested in some training in how to make the most of AI in your role?
4. What do you think AI could be used for to help you in your role?
5. Anything else to add?

In the meantime, while we are working on our plan for how we use AI at Derian, please see this guide of five dos and five don’ts that will keep us safe…

AI use at Derian House: Five Dos and Five Don’ts

As AI becomes more widely used in the workplace, it can be a valuable tool to support efficiency, creativity and productivity.

However, when working in a children’s hospice environment, it is essential that AI is used safely, ethically and in line with our responsibilities to children, families, colleagues and supporters.

✅ Five Dos

1. Do protect confidential information

Always remove or anonymise any information that could identify a child, family member, donor, volunteer or colleague before entering it into an AI tool.

2. Do use AI as a support tool, not a decision-maker

AI can help draft documents, generate ideas and summarise information, but professional judgement must always be applied before acting on its output. Be sure that any content for families and supporters is written in our Derian tone of voice and uses the terminology we prefer – people don’t connect on a human level with copy written by AI.

3. Do check all AI-generated content

Review and fact-check anything produced by AI before sharing it internally or externally. AI can make mistakes, provide inaccurate information or present outdated content.

4. Do follow Derian House policies and values

Ensure any use of AI aligns with organisational policies, GDPR requirements, safeguarding responsibilities and our values of being Safe, Compassionate and Accountable.

5. Do be transparent when appropriate

If AI has been used to significantly contribute to a piece of work, be open about its use with colleagues where relevant, particularly for important reports, communications or strategic documents.

❌ Five Don’ts

1. Don’t enter personal or sensitive data into public AI tools

Never upload names, medical information, safeguarding concerns, financial data, donor details or any confidential organisational information unless the AI platform has been formally approved for such use.

2. Don’t rely on AI without human review

AI should never be used to make decisions about patient care, safeguarding, clinical matters, HR issues, disciplinary processes or legal matters without appropriate professional oversight.

3. Don’t assume AI is always accurate

AI can confidently present incorrect information. Treat outputs as a first draft or starting point, not a final answer.

4. Don’t use AI to create misleading or deceptive content

AI should not be used to fabricate quotes, testimonials, case studies, images or information that could misrepresent Derian House, our families or our work.

5. Don’t bypass professional expertise

AI should enhance human skills, not replace them. Clinical judgement, safeguarding expertise, leadership decisions and compassionate human interactions must always remain at the heart of what we do.

A simple rule of thumb: If you wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing the information publicly, don’t put it into an AI tool. If AI creates something for you, always check it before you use it.

Dear Colleagues

I wanted to share some key updates following our recent Trustee Board meeting.

Our Strategic Direction

Trustees have now approved the overarching strategic aim for the Charity for the next five years. This represents an important milestone and provides a clear direction for where we want to be and the impact we want to have for babies, children, young people and families.

2030 Ambition: By 2030, all children and families within our catchment area who are eligible for support from Derian House (expected to be around 5,000) will be aware of our services, and at least 20% will access and benefit from them. Through safe, sustainable and family-centred services, we will extend our reach and impact whilst maintaining the highest standards of quality, governance and care

Whilst the overarching aim has now been agreed, this is very much the beginning rather than the end of the process. Over the coming weeks and months, colleagues from across the organisation will be involved in helping us put the “meat on the bones” of the strategy, shaping how we turn our ambitions into practical actions and priorities for each department and team.

This engagement will begin with a series of staff briefings, dates will be shared soon, followed by team discussions and opportunities for colleagues to contribute their ideas, expertise and experience. It is important that our strategy reflects the collective knowledge and passion that exists across the organisation.

Our New Values

Trustees also approved our new organisational values:

Safe
Accountable
Compassionate

These values reflect who we are, what matters most to us, and how we want to work together and with the families we support.

Alongside the values, Trustees approved a set of guiding behaviours aligned with the letters within DERIAN, that bring these values to life in our day-to-day actions and decision-making. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in developing these.  Further information about the values and behaviours will be shared shortly, and we will be working together to embed them across the organisation.

Family Engagement and Voice

A key area of discussion was our commitment to family engagement and ensuring that the voices of children, young people and families are at the heart of everything we do.  Trustees formally approved our approach to strengthening participation and engagement and reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that the experiences, views and feedback of families help shape our services and future plans, through the formal approval of a paper that went to board.

Danny shared the paper in an email last week, if you haven’t had the opportunity to read it I would encourage colleagues to do so.

Getting Ready for Growth

Trustees were also clear that the coming year should be focused on ensuring that we have the right foundations in place for the future.  This means spending time getting our “house in order”, strengthening our infrastructure, governance, leadership arrangements, staffing structures, systems and ways of working so that we are well positioned to deliver our strategic ambitions and support future growth.

You will hear more about this work over the coming weeks as plans develop and we begin to engage colleagues in shaping the next phase.

Questions and Further Information

We recognise that colleagues may have questions about any of the areas outlined above. Please feel free to speak with any member of the Executive or Leadership  team, who will be happy to provide further information and answer any questions you may have.

Thank you, as always, for your commitment, professionalism and passion. The progress we are making as an organisation is only possible because of the dedication of our colleagues, volunteers and supporters, and we look forward to shaping the future together.

HOSPICE OPENING & CLOSING DAYS

• The hospice will be closed for in-house respite on Monday morning and Tuesday.

MONDAY 15th

• Happy Children’s Hospice Week everyone! We can’t wait to celebrate throughout the week in true Derian style, kicking off with our annual sports day up in the Sunshine Park (weather depending) with some very special sporting stars as guests…

• There will be a Senior Leadership Team Meeting this afternoon.

• The ball pool will be closed for cleaning from 1pm today.

TUESDAY 16th

• Playgroup will be held today in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 11:30am.

• There will be an IPC committee meeting this morning.

• The fire alarm will be tested at 2pm today.

• There will be World Cup activities available this afternoon in the Messy PlayZone.

WEDNESDAY 17th

• Cornerstones Group for our bereaved Derian grandparents will be meeting today from 10am and 12pm in the Seaside Room.

• There will be a Sensory Room TACPAC session this morning, before Rachel’s sing-along music hour in the Snug.

• There will be an Operational Clinical Governance Meeting this afternoon.

• There will be fun sessions in the pool and pet therapy with Jo and Ted throughout the day.

THURSDAY 18th

• The Derian Grandparents Group will be meeting today in the Seaside Room from 10am – 12pm.

• The Referral Panel will be meeting this morning.

• Our CYP will be making Father’s Day gifts this morning, before music therapy in the afternoon with Debbie, our new music therapist.

FRIDAY 19th

• This morning, our CYP will be exploring musical instruments and having a sing-along.

• Claire will be hosting a music and movement session this afternoon in the Lounge.

SATURDAY 20th

• Today is King Charles’ birthday, so our CYP will be making King Charles crafts this morning.

• The Great Derian Treasure Hunt will be taking place this afternoon in the hospice.

SUNDAY 21st

• Our CYP will be having fun splashing around in the hydrotherapy pool this morning, and will be exploring with musical instruments and having as sing-along later in the afternoon.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• There will be an email sent out by Kerry from Fundraising about parking for next week’s Colour Run. Please look out for this and read it carefully.

• New work phones will be handed out this week to those who requested them.

• The Lone Worker app will be going live.

• Urmson will be continuing their remedial work on the bedroom corridors next week, and they will begin their compartmentalisation work on Wednesday 17^th.

• Tickets for the Wigan Warriors/Derian House family fun day can be bought for the special Derian discounted price of just £2 per ticket (children under 2 go free) via this link – https://wwrl.net/wkebev

• Thanks so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between 22nd – 28th June, please send an email to cameron.murray@derianhouse.co.uk or DLcommsandmarketing@derianhouse.co.uk  before Thursday 18th June.

Have a great week everyone!

MONDAY 8^th

• Crochet & Crafts will be taking place today in the Seaside Room between 10am and 12pm.

• Swimming lessons will take place between 3:00pm – 7:00pm in the hydrotherapy pool.

TUESDAY 9^th

• Playgroup will be held in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 11:30pm for our toddlers and their families.

• Happy National Donald Duck Day! We’ll be celebrating with themed crafts in the Messy PlayZone this morning.

• Our in-house children and young people will be splashing around in the hydrotherapy pool this afternoon.

• There will be a fire test at 2pm.

WEDNESDAY 10th 

• Join Rachel the singing teacher in the Snug from 11am for an hour of singing fun.

• Tailored sessions of music with Martha the music therapist will take place in the Snug this afternoon.

• From 6pm – 8pm, The Lodgers will be at St Joseph’s Primary School practising their Kurling and Boccia skills!

• Derian Dads will be meeting tonight in the Seaside Room from 7pm – 9:30pm.

THURSDAY 11^th

• To celebrate National Games Day, we will be playing garden games in Sunshine Park.

• It’s music therapist Debbie’s first day today, and she’ll be running sessions in the Snug this afternoon.

• NEET daycare will be taking place at The Lodge today from 10am – 3:30pm. The Lodgers will be cooking chicken baltis and making cheesecake strawberries.

• There is a Sibling Social this afternoon! The older siblings will be going out for a meal before heading to Chorley Theatre to see Sister Act.

FRIDAY 12^th

• We’ll be helping Gareth the gardener do some gardening up in Sunshine Park.

• Let’s go for a walk down to Astley Park to feed the ducks.

• Chill Out & Chat will be held tonight in the Seaside Room from 6:30pm – 9pm.

SATURDAY 13^th

• Danni’s Club will be held today between 1:30pm and 4pm in the Seaside Room.

• There will be girls daycare at The Lodge from 10am – 4pm, where lots of arts, crafts and baking activities will be taking place throughout the day.

• Let’s make some Father’s Day cards to take home for our dads.

SUNDAY 14^th

• Children’s nurse Francesca Lennon will be coming to visit Derian today at 2:30pm. Francesca will be completing her ‘Steps of Love’ CHATUK Peaks Challenge for this year’s Children’s Hospice Week, where she will be climbing the highest peaks across the UK in one week.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Urmsons will be in for the next two weeks doing fire door remedial work in The Lodge area.

• Volunteer Georgina finishes with us this week, so please send your updates for week commencing 19^th June to murray@derianhouse.co.uk or dlcommsandmarketing@derianhouse.co.uk going forward. Thank you Georgina for all of your hard work over the last eight months!

Have a great week everyone!

Dear Colleagues,

This week we are celebrating Volunteers’ Week, a national campaign recognising the incredible contribution volunteers make across the UK.

At Derian House, our volunteers play a vital role in supporting children, young people and families. Whether they are helping in our hospice, retail shops, fundraising events, family activities, gardens, reception, pet therapy, or behind the scenes, their dedication helps us provide the very best care and support to those who need us.

To help celebrate, we have created a special Volunteers’ Week display board which has been sent to each site. We encourage you to take a look and learn more about the different volunteer roles that support our organisation. The display also provides an opportunity for our volunteers to share their feedback about volunteering and also includes a beautiful booklet filled with the heartfelt messages of thanks that many of you have shared for our volunteers.

We have also set out a few treats for our volunteers throughout the week, including a small gift that we hope serves as a reminder of just how valued and appreciated they are.

As a special thank you, we have invited all our volunteers to a Coffee & Cake Afternoon in the Seaside Room on Wednesday 3rd June from 1.30pm to 4.00pm. Please feel free to drop in, meet some of our volunteers, and help us show our appreciation for everything they do.

A simple thank you can mean so much, so if you work alongside volunteers, please take a moment this week to let them know how much their support is valued.

Thank you for helping us make our volunteers feel recognised and appreciated, not just during Volunteers’ Week, but throughout the year.

TUESDAY 26th

• Happy half term week everyone! Family Daycare will be taking place today between 10am – 3pm, where we’ll be welcoming our families in for lots of fun!

• Today is National Paper Aeroplane Day, so our children and young people will spend the morning making paper aeroplanes before heading to Astley Park in the afternoon to fly them.

• There will be a fire alarm test at 2pm.

• Say hello to our brand new Clinical Support Workers, Maureen and Cee-Jay, who will be joining the team today.

WEDNESDAY 27th

• This morning, our CYP will be in either the Sensory Garden or the lounge for sensory story time (weather depending).

• There will be in-house hydrotherapy sessions throughout the afternoon.

• The Derian Mums Bereavement Group will be meeting in the Seaside Room from 7pm – 9:30pm.

• Eid Mubarak to all of our staff, volunteers and families who will be celebrating Eid al-Adha today.

THURSDAY 28th

• We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo – how about you? There will be a School’s Out Trip on the fun bus to Blackpool Zoo today!

• In the morning, our CYP will have the opportunity to do some activities in the Messy PlayZone, and in the afternoon there will be sensory exploration in the sensory room.

• There will be a Clinical Policy Development Review Group this afternoon.

• The monthly meeting of the Wellbeing & Culture Club will meet this morning, to organise comms and activities for June’s events/awareness days.

FRIDAY 29th

• There will be playdoh and clay sculpting in the messy room this morning for our children and young people.

• Today is National Biscuit Day, so our CYP will be baking yummy biscuits in the afternoon.

• The Siblings Residential Trip kicks off today! Our super sibs will be heading off to PGL Winmarleigh for a weekend packed full of fun and adventure.

SATURDAY 30th

• The Youth Family Drop in will take place in The Lodge from 1:30pm – 3pm.

• There will be in-house hydrotherapy sessions this morning.

• Today is National Water a Flower Day, so our CYP will be going to the Sunshine Park later today to water the flowers there.

SUNDAY 31st

• For National Smile Day, our CYP will be making smile crafts this morning in messy play and will be taking part in more messy play activities in the afternoon.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Thanks so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between 1^st– 7^th June, please send an email to murray@derianhouse.co.uk, georgina.morton@derianhouse.co.uk or DLcommsandmarketing@derianhouse.co.uk  before Thursday 28th May.

Have a great week everyone!

HOSPICE OPENING & CLOSING DAYS

• The hospice will be open all week.

• The care team will be out in the community throughout the week, to provide children with care in their own homes.

• Support staff will more than likely be off on Bank Holiday Monday, so it’ll be much quieter in and around the hospice!

• The hospice will be open for planned respite until Friday 9^th.

MONDAY 4TH

• May the 4^th be with you! Not only is it Star Wars Day, but it’s also National Orange Juice Day, where we will be celebrating with collage crafts and orange cake baking.

• There’ll be swimming lessons in the hydrotherapy pool from 3pm – 7pm.

TUESDAY 5TH

• Playgroup will be taking place today in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 11:30pm.

• There will be a fire alarm test today at 2pm.

• Create your own cartoon strip in Messy Play to celebrate National Cartoonist Day.

• Our in-house children and young people will be splashing around in the hydrotherapy pool.

WEDNESDAY 6TH

• The Derian Dads Bereavement Group will be meeting tonight in the Seaside Room from 7pm – 9:30pm.

• The Care Team has a Care Database Forum today.
• The Lodgers will be attending their new weekly Sports Group from 6pm – 8pm tonight at St George’s School.

• Rachel will be visiting us for her hour of music from 11am in the Snug.

• Rainbow Hub will be visiting us to use our hydrotherapy pool this morning, and in return we’ll be off to their HQ for some rebound therapy!

THURSDAY 7TH

• The Mums at Derian group will be meeting in the Seaside Room tonight from 7pm – 9:30pm.

• The Referral Panel will be meeting today.

• The Lodge is running its NEET daycare today, where Lodgers will be cooking in the morning before going to the park in the afternoon.

• There will be an IPC (Infection, Prevention and Control) Audit today.

• Let’s go to the beach! (From the comfort of the hospice). We’ll be enjoying sand and water play.

• There’ll be no pool or sensory room today as work on the fire doors continues to happen.

FRIDAY 8TH

• Our team will be hosting a midwifery study day for external midwives.

• What will we see on our spring walk to Astley Park?

SATURDAY 9TH

• Family Stay & Play will be in the Conference Room today from 1:30pm – 3pm.

• Our children and young people will be enjoying a morning of sensory stories in the Lounge.

• We’ll be decorating biscuits in Danni’s Diner this afternoon.

SUNDAY 10TH

• The Forget Me Not Service will be taking place today from 2pm on the field beside Derian.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Urmson will be on site from Tuesday 5^thto Friday 8^th to complete remedial work on the fire doors.

• The marquee for the Forget Me Not Service on Sunday will be set up on Friday 8^thand Saturday 9

• Thank you so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between 11th – 17th May, please send an email to morton@derianhouse.co.ukor DLcommsandmarketing@derianhouse.co.uk  before Thursday 7th May.

Have a great week everyone!

Staff FAQ

In addition to the recent email about our exciting new service, here are some frequently asked questions. An SOP is also available in the policy files on the intranet.

What is Derian Wishes?

• Our new wish service helping create special moments and meaningful memories for the children and young people we care for.

Who can have a wish?

• Wishes are for children and young people receiving care at Derian House.
• Siblings are not eligible for their own wish, but wishes can include family experiences where siblings are part of the moment.

Is there an age limit?

• No, but we ask families to consider their child’s age and choose a wish that feels meaningful and appropriate, and to access the service at a time that feels right for them.

What kind of wishes can they ask for?

• Anything that is meaningful to them, big or small!
• This could be a day out, a family experience or something they’ve always wanted

How many wishes can a child make?

• Derian Wishes will grant one wish per child.
• There may also be instances where families that are part of one of our support groups will receive an additional shared wish experience together as a group.

What about bereaved families?

• In some circumstances, bereaved families may be offered a wish or memory-making experience
• This will be considered sensitively on a case-by-case basis

Are there any restrictions?

• There are a few. Wishes need to be safe, appropriate and within what we can realistically provide.
• Please refer to the document attached to your recent email for more information.

How does it work?

• Families are invited to apply for a wish using the online form derianhouse.co.uk/wishes
• We will then chat to the family to explore their ideas and carefully plan everything
• The wish is granted! With the families consent we may share photos of their experience.

How can I help?

• Make families aware of Derian Wishes
• Encourage families to apply for a wish using the online form, you could help them to fill this in if they are struggling
• Let us know if you feel a wish may need to be prioritised or fast-tracked due to a child’s changing condition or prognosis
• There may be the opportunity for staff and volunteers to get involved with delivering wishes.

Who should I contact if I have any questions?

Gillian Rabbett

wishes@derianhouse.co.uk

Ext 219

A huge thanks to all of the staff and volunteers who took part in our Derian Values survey – it was extremely useful and enabled us to continue with the next stage of our Values workshopping.

As promised, we randomly selected someone from those who completed the survey… leaving our lovely volunteer Cathy Carr the lucky winner of an Easter egg!

HOSPICE OPENING & CLOSING DAYS

• The hospice is open all week.

MONDAY 23rd  

• Helen Southworth and Matt Kilbane will both be starting their new roles at Derian House today! Helen will be joining us as HR & OD Manager, and Matt will be joining us as Finance Director.

• Today will be Eid celebration day here at the hospice! All staff will receive an Eid lunch free of charge, and Derian’s children and young people will be enjoying lots of fun activities throughout the day.

• There will be a Vinten Weekly huddle this morning at 11:30am.

• Today is National Puppy Day, and so our CYP will be taking part in puppy crafts this morning – making paw print potato stamps, before making their way to Astley Park in the afternoon.

• The Sensory Room will be closed this afternoon for cleaning.

TUESDAY 24^th

• Playgroup will be held today in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 11:30am.

• There will be sensory messy play this morning, and later on our CYP will be heading to the cinema for movie time!

• There will be interviews for clinical support workers taking place throughout today.

• NEET daycare will be taking place today in The Lodge between 10am and 3:30pm.

WEDNESDAY 25^th

• The Cornerstones group will be meeting this morning in the Seaside Room between 10am and 12pm.
• The CYP will be taking part in mindfulness colouring this morning, before pet therapy with Andy and Buddy at 10am, and music therapy with Rachel at 11am.

• This afternoon there will be in-house hydrotherapy.

• There will be a Clinical Policy Development Review Group today at 2pm.

• The Lodgers’ first Sports Club session will be taking place at St Joseph’s Primary School from 6pm – 8pm, where they will be practising all things Boccia & Kurling.

THURSDAY 26^th

• The Derian Grandparents Group will be meeting today in the Seaside Room from 10am – 12pm.

• Members of the team from Wigan Warriors will be coming in today to drop off Easter eggs for our families.

• Our CYP will be playing on Sunshine Park this morning, and will be taking part in sensory exploration in the sensory room in the afternoon.

• Darwen Vale will host their annual circuit training day today – the event has been running for 16 years in total, and will be the last organised by Derian community ambassador Wayne Hartley, who is retiring this summer. The school has raised almost £100,000 for us in that time.

• The Referral Panel will be meeting today.

• The Lodge will be holding a Family & Wellbeing Team Meeting today.

FRIDAY 27^th

• Today is Wear a Hat Day! CYP will be crafting hats this morning, before wearing them and taking part in a hat parade and photoshoot later today!

• There will be interviews for nurses taking place throughout the day.

• Friday Night Club will be taking place in The Lodge from 6pm-9pm, with some fun time spent up in the Sunshine Park!

SATURDAY 28^th

• This morning there will be in-house hydrotherapy, and later today there will be Sensory Storytime in the lounge.

• There will be a Youth Family Drop-In at Derian from 1:30pm to 3pm in The Lodge.

SUNDAY 29th 

• Our CYP will be making hand and footprint art this morning, before going on a scavenger hunt this afternoon!

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Thanks so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between 30th March – 5th April, please send an email to murray@derianhouse.co.uk, georgina.morton@derianhouse.co.ukor DLcommsandmarketing@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday 26th March.

Have a great week everyone!

HOSPICE OPENING & CLOSING DAYS

• The hospice is open all week but closed on Sunday.

MONDAY 9th 

• The Azure migration continues with the printers and scanners being out of action.

• Urmson will be carrying out some remedial work on the Messy PlayZone and House to Lodge fire doors.

• Our children and young people will be making Mother’s Day gifts today.

• We’ll be venturing outside for fun and games on Sunshine Park.

• The Sensory Room will be closed for cleaning this afternoon.

• Swimming lessons will take place in the hydrotherapy pool from 3pm – 7pm.

TUESDAY 10^th

• Playgroup will be on today in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 11:30am.

• There will be a fire alarm test at 2pm today.

• Our in-house CYP will be splashing about the hydrotherapy pool this afternoon.

WEDNESDAY 11th 

• Rachel will be visiting for an hour of music in the Snug from 11am – 12pm.

• We’ll be enjoying crafts throughout the day in the Messy PlayZone.

• Pet therapy pooch Buddy will be visiting with his human, Andy, this morning.

• We’re on a magical mystery trip out in the Derian House minibus! Destination TBA!

• The Derian Dads Bereavement Group will be meeting in the Seaside Room tonight from 7pm – 9:30pm.

• Senior Leadership Strategy Session 6 is scheduled for today from 10:30am – 3:00pm. This is the session that was rescheduled from the beginning of February.

THURSDAY 12^th

• The Referral Panel will be meeting today.

• We’ll be doing arts and crafts for our lovely mummies throughout the day.

• The Mums at Derian Group will be meeting in the Seaside Room tonight from 7pm – 9:30pm.

• Join us in the Messy PlayZone for curling and bowling games.

• The Estates van is going in the garage for remedial work at the MOT.

FRIDAY 13^th

• We’re going to spend the morning baking yummy treats for our Cinema trip to Derian at the Movies this afternoon.

• Chill Out & Chat will be on today in the Seaside Room from 6:30pm – 9pm.

• Tauheedul Islam Boys High School will be coming in today to tour the hospice as part of their Ramadan celebrations.

• There’ll be Play in the Community visits today.

SATURDAY 14^th

• Family Stay & Play will be taking place at the hospice today from 1:30pm – 3pm today.

• Our in-house CYP will be enjoying a swim in the hydrotherapy pool this morning.

• Danni’s Club will be meeting up in the Seaside Room today from 1:30pm – 4pm.

• The Lodgers will be going to Blackpool Grand Theatre today to watch Vampires Rock!

SUNDAY 15th  

• Happy Mother’s Day to all of our wonderful Derian House Mums. Enjoy your very special celebrations.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Thanks so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between March 16^th – March 22^nd, please send an email to murray@derianhouse.co.uk, or DLcommsandmarketing@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday 12^th March.

Have a great week everyone!

“Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.” 💪

On #InternationalWomensDay, we’re celebrating some of the incredible ladies who make Derian House what it is ✨

From the nurses caring through the night, to the fundraisers, exec team, housekeepers, volunteers, and the mums who inspire us every day – the hospice is held together by extraordinary women 👩

Thank you for the compassion, strength and care you bring to the children and families we support 💚

“This partnership shows exactly what it means to be one of the Warriors. It’s not just about playing rugby, it’s about building real connections with our community and supporting each other.” ✨

Wigan Warriors has dropped another surprise in their 2026 partnership with Derian House – and it’s a kit fans will definitely want in their collection 🍒🤍

After months of keeping it under wraps, the club has unveiled a special-edition warm-up kit designed by a group of Derian House’s own young people 💚

The team will wear their Third Kit warm-up jersey throughout the season, and you can purchase it by visiting the link below 💫

Watch on to see what happened when Adam Keighran and Harry Smith surprised our young people last week 🤩

➡️ wwrl.net/store

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to confirm that we have now resumed overnight respite care following the recent temporary pause, as of last week.

This has been a challenging period for everyone. I want to sincerely thank you for the professionalism, flexibility and commitment you have shown throughout. Many of our clinical colleagues have undertaken additional training and upskilling, supported service changes and adapted quickly to new expectations. Your response has demonstrated the very best of this organisation.

I also want to recognise the contribution of our wider teams across the charity. Our retail, fundraising, facilities, HR, finance, governance and administrative colleagues who have continued to keep the organisation steady during this time. Whether maintaining safe environments, strengthening processes, supporting staff wellbeing, ensuring compliance, or sustaining vital income, your work has enabled clinical services to refocus and strengthen safely. Reopening overnight respite is a whole-organisation achievement.

During the pause, we have introduced a number of important improvements to ensure we are fully assured in the safety and quality of care we provide. This includes the formal introduction of a Nurse in Charge (NIC) model, clearer Director on Call (DOC) oversight, enhanced escalation processes and additional clinical training focused on recognition of deterioration, sepsis and safe decision-making. These changes are designed to strengthen operational grip and provide greater clarity and support across shifts.

Our Trustees have reviewed the actions taken and feel assured that we are able to provide safe, high-quality overnight respite care. As CEO and CQC Nominated Individual, I share that assurance and remain committed to ensuring our systems, leadership and governance continue to strengthen.

I also want to take the opportunity to acknowledge that this period has also been emotionally difficult. Alongside service changes, we have experienced the deaths of a number of children known to us and an increased use of our sunflower suites. Supporting families through loss while navigating organisational change is not easy. Your compassion, resilience and support for one another during this time has been remarkable.

Thank you for rallying round, for staying focused on children and families, and for embracing the improvements we are making. Reopening overnight respite is an important step, and it is one we are taking with confidence, vigilance and care.

Thanks,

Karen

Ramadan Kareem to all of our Muslim staff, volunteers, friends, families and supporters.

During this holy month, we’re looking forward to once again bringing together members of the community by reaching out and inviting them on a tour of their local children’s hospice to see the incredible work we do.

May Ramadan bring you happiness, prosperity and togetherness – love from us all here at Derian House.

A huge congratulations are in order for our Catering Team, who were visited by the Food Standards Agency last week for an inspection of Danni’s Diner…

…where we once again received a five star food hygiene rating!

Thank you so much to our tremendous trio of chefs – alongside their hardworking team of kitchen volunteers – for not only feeding us excellent food every day, but for keeping Derian House safe, clean and tidy in the process.

HOSPICE OPENING & CLOSING DAYS

• The hospice will be very busy this week, with lots of families booked in for stay and plays over half term.

MONDAY 16th 

• The Sensory Room will be closed so that the ball pit can be cleaned.

• The Crochet and Crafts group will be meeting today in the Seaside Room from 10am – 12pm.

• The care team will be going on a play in the community visit.

• We have a new member of staff, Christopher Pasquill, starting this week! He is the new manager of the West Houghton shop.

• The Senior Leadership Meeting will be held in Vinten Meeting Room today from 12pm – 1:30pm.

TUESDAY 17th

• Today is the start of Ramadan, Chinese New Year, and Pancake Day! To everyone celebrating – enjoy!

• Five families will be joining us for Family Day Care today, and will be eating lunch in the dining room at 12:30pm. If you’re planning on eating in Danni’s Diner, please grab your lunch before this time.

• The fire alarm will take place at 2pm.

• Lodge Day Care will take place from 10am – 4pm.

WEDNESDAY 18th 

• There will be a play in the community visit today.

• The Derian Dads will be meeting in the Seaside Room from 7pm – 9:30pm today.

• Lodge Day Care will take place once again from 10am – 4:00pm.

THURSDAY 19th

• Four of our young people will be coming in for a day of friendship-making and fun!

• Some of the team from Wigan Warriors will be visiting Lodge Day Care today to unveil the training shirt that our children and young people helped to design.

• There will be a guided meditation session in the Cinema Room today from 4pm.

FRIDAY 20th

• Paul Woodward’s latest film, ‘Voice Again’ – about the Derian Dads Bereavement Group – will be launching on YouTube this evening.

• We will be visiting Wigan Warriors for a meeting about the Derian House Charity Match…. date dropping soon!

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Thanks so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between 23rd February – 1st March, please send an email to murray@derianhouse.co.uk, georgina.morton@derianhouse.co.ukor DLcommsandmarketing@derianhouse.co.uk  before Thursday 17th February.

• For any out-of-hours Estates issues, please contact Richard this week.

Have a great week everyone!

MONDAY 9th 

• Neil, the Operations Director from the Greenfingers charity, will be visiting the Sensory Garden.

• Dr Nicola Platt from the University of Lancashire will be visiting the hospice this morning. Derian has agreed to take part in a research programme exploring the role of volunteers in supporting healthcare settings.

• The Lodge care workers will be going on a youth community visit.

• There is a training day for external professionals in the Conference Room today. Professionals from local social care teams will be learning about paediatric palliative care and bereavement support.

• February’s Top Dog fundraiser has so far raised over £2,370 for Derian!

TUESDAY 10th

• Playgroup will be taking place today in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 11:30pm.

• There will be a fire alarm test at 2pm.

• The Lodge care workers will be going on a youth community visit this afternoon.

• There’ll be a play in the community visit and baby massage visits today for our children and young people out in the community.

WEDNESDAY 11th 

• Derian Dads Bereavement Group are meeting in the Seaside Room tonight from 7pm-9:30pm. They will be in the cinema first to watch a special screening of the new Derian Dads documentary before it’s released next week.

• There will be a Senior Leadership Strategy Session taking place in the Conference Room from 10:30am-3pm.

THURSDAY 12^th

• There will be an Audit, Government, and Risk Sub-Committee Meeting in the Conference Room from 10am-12pm.

• NEET daycare will be taking place today at The Lodge, and later on there will be a cooking session!

• The Mums at Derian group are meeting tonight in the Seaside Room from 7pm-9:30pm.

FRIDAY 13th

• The Chill Out and Chat drop-in will be taking place today from 6:30pm-9pm in the Seaside Room.

• The Mayor of Penwortham will be coming into Derian for a tour today.

SATURDAY 14th

• Join us in wearing pink or red for Valentine’s Day today! There will be lots of fun Valentines activities going on throughout the day.

• Family Stay & Play will be in the Conference Room from 1:30pm-3pm.

• Danni’s Club will be taking place in the Seaside Room today from 1:30pm-4pm.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Thanks so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between 16th – 22nd February, please send an email to murray@derianhouse.co.uk, georgina.morton@derianhouse.co.ukor DLcommsandmarketing@derianhouse.co.uk  before Thursday 12th February.

Have a great week everyone!

HOSPICE OPENING & CLOSING DAYS

• The hospice is open all week for short breaks and day care.

MONDAY 26th 

• G’day mate! For Australia Day, our children and young people will be making Australian animal-themed arts and crafts this morning in messy play!

• The care team will be completing staff training today on neonatal symptom management from 2pm. The training will be on zoom, so please email Alison Morris for the link.

• Ashton Golf Club will be coming to visit the hospice today, as they have chosen us to be their charity of the year.

• Our children and young people will be meeting tonight for movie madness, with lots of yummy treats!

• The Finance & Income Sub-Committee will be held in the Seaside Room from 11:00am – 1:00pm.

TUESDAY 27th

• Our children and young people will be playing smelly bingo this morning.

• Playgroup will be taking place in the Seaside Room this morning from 10:00am – 11:30pm.

• There’ll be a fire alarm test at 2pm today.

• Darren Chan, Amelie’s dad, and his friend Kevin Heaps from AMET will be coming in today to give us the £10,000 that AMET has raised in support of Amelie and Derian.

• Today is a Senior Manager Strategy Day.

• This evening, our children and young people will be having lots of fun in the hydrotherapy pool!

WEDNESDAY 28th

• For International Lego Day, our children and young people will be making Lego printed artwork.

• Cornerstones group will be meeting in the Seaside Room today from 10am – 12pm.

• We will be interviewing for the post of Director of Integrated Care today.

• The Clinical Development Review Group will meet today.

• NEET daycare will be taking place today instead of tomorrow.

• At 11am, Rachel will be coming in for music hour in the Snug.

• This afternoon, our children and young people will be baking delicious treats to take home!

• There’ll be an Innova Hoist training session in the Lodge from 12:00pm – 1:30pm today.

• The GP’s will meet today via Teams from 1:00pm – 2:00pm.

THURSDAY 29th

• There will be tactile messy sensory play for our children and young people this morning.

• The Derian Dynamos will be competing in a boxing competition tonight at Bolton Arena!

• Penwortham Golf Course will be coming in today for a visit, as they have made us their charity of the year.

• The referral panel will be convening today.

• This afternoon, there will be a sensory story time for our children and young people.

FRIDAY 30th

• There will be lots of music and movement fun this morning for our children and young people.

• The second Derian Values Workshop will be taking place today. Please email leigh-whiston@derianhouse.co.uk to book on if you haven’t already.

• We say goodbye today to Bridget Thompson, who will be retiring from her role as Clinical Director.

• Clinical Education will be hosting students in the conference room for a study day today.

• Our children and young people will be playing prize bingo this morning.

• Friday Night Club will be taking place this evening in the Lodge.

• Keep an eye out on our socials tonight, as we’ll be announcing a very special and exciting year-long partnership with a local sports team.

SATURDAY 31st

• It’s International Zebra Day today! Our children and young people will be splashing about in the hydrotherapy pool this morning, before taking part in some zebra-themed arty fun later!

• There will be a Youth Family Drop-In today in The Lodge from 1:30pm – 3pm.

SUNDAY 1st

• Get your walking boots at the ready because Derian’s annual Top Dog challenge starts today, with our fundraisers and their furry friends walking 100km throughout the month of February to raise vital funds for our hospice.

• There will be a Derian Scavenger Hunt this morning for our children and young people.

• To kick off National Storytelling Week, we will be snuggling down for story time later today.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Thanks so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between 2nd February – 8th February, please send an email to murray@derianhouse.co.uk,georgina.morton@derianhouse.co.uk, or DLcommsandmarketing@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday 22nd January.

Have a great week everyone!

HOSPICE OPENING & CLOSING DAYS

• The hospice is open all week for respite and day care.

MONDAY 19th  

• This morning our children and young people will be making calendars in messy play.

• At 12pm, there will be a senior leadership meeting in Vinten Meeting Room.

• This afternoon, our children and young people will be tuning in to the Derian @ the Movies to watch a film and will be having massages!

• The Lodge bedrooms 3 and 4 – and the adjoining bathroom – are having new hoists fitted until Friday 23^rd.

TUESDAY 20th

• There will be messy sensory play this morning for our in-house children.

• Playgroup is back for a session of play, fun, and friendship. It’ll be based in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 11:30am for our Derian babies and toddlers, and their siblings.

• At 10am there will be a Medicines and Management Committee meeting.

• The final session of the Vantage training will be taking place this afternoon. Staff can either drop into the 2:30pm or 3:30pm session.

• In-house swims will be taking place in the hydrotherapy pool this afternoon.

• The weekly fire alarm test will take place at 2pm.

WEDNESDAY 21st

• Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day, and to celebrate, our in-house children and young people will be making squirrel pictures.

• Music teacher Rachel will be coming into Derian to hold a music session from 11:00am – 12:00pm.

• There are four Lodgers staying at Derian this Wednesday, so they will be off on an outing together.

• In the afternoon, our children and young people will be taking part in rebound therapy.

• The Derian Dads will be meeting this evening in the Seaside Room from 7pm – 9:30pm.

• The Lodge family flat is having the carpet, curtains, sofa and mattress deep-cleaned.

THURSDAY 22nd

• This morning, our children and young people will be exploring the sensory room.

• The Derian Grandparents will be meeting for the first time this morning in the Seaside Room from 10am – 12pm.

• NEET daycare will be taking place at The Lodge today.

• There will be a play in the community visit.

• Prepare yourself for an afternoon of games! Our children and young people will be participating in a games afternoon, where they will compete in a curling competition, followed by some bingo.

• Fleet vehicle HN14 YCB is in for its MOT.

FRIDAY 23rd

• To kick off the Big Garden Birdwatching Weekend, our children and young people will be meeting in the messy room for bird themed footprint art.

• This afternoon, our children and young people will be enjoying music and movement parachute time.

SATURDAY 24th

• In-house swims will be taking place this morning.

• From 10am – 4pm there will be an in-house retreat for antenatal bereaved mums.

• There will be in-house activities planned for The Lodgers today.

• Our children and young people will be going for a long walk this afternoon to see how many birds they can spot for the Big Garden Bird Watching Weekend.

SUNDAY 25th

• To celebrate Burns Night, our children and young people will be making Scottish flag and thistle art this morning and will be baking Scottish Shortbread later in the evening!

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Thanks so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between 26th January – 1st February, please send an email to cameron.murray@derianhouse.co.uk, georgina.morton@derianhouse.co.uk, or DLcommsandmarketing@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday 22nd January.

Have a great week everyone!

HOSPICE OPENING HOURS

• The hospice is open every day and night this week for respite.

MONDAY 12^th 

• We’ve got two new students starting, in the form of Erin Hallam (Student Nurse, here for 10 weeks), and Iona Antwis (Student Nurse Associate, one week). If you’re going on any visits or have any activities planned that would be an appropriate learning experience, please let Alison know.

• Crochet & Crafts will meet in the Seaside Room for their first group of the year from 10:00am – 12:00pm.

• Our children will be snowflake painting in the Messy PlayZone today.

• Swimming lessons with Caroline recommence in the Hydrotherapy Pool this afternoon after the Christmas break.

• A new hoist system will be installed in Lodge Bedroom 1 and 2, and the adjoining bathroom.

• Retainers will be installed in the Lodge office and Karen (CEO)’s hospice office today and tomorrow.

• There will be on-screen training in the Skills Lab from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. ‘Life after neonatal care: Findings from The Smallest Things 2025 report’.

TUESDAY 13^th

• Our children and young people will be partaking in sensory bowling and splashing in the pool today.

• Playgroup is back for another term of play, fun, and friendship. It’ll be based in the Seaside Room from 10:00am – 11:30am for our Derian babies and toddlers, and their siblings.

• There’ll be a community baby massage visit today.

• Alison will be speaking at the Together for Short Lives Educators Forum about our paediatric palliative care e-learning modules, and the transfer over to the NHS Learning Hub.

• There’ll be Vantage training in the Conference Room for Care Team staff, with two sessions running from 2:30pm – 3:30pm, and 3:30pm – 4:30pm.

WEDNESDAY 14^th 

• Sensory stories with Caroline will be held in the House Lounge this morning.

• Music hour with Rachel will take place in the Snug from 11:00am this morning.

• Our children and young people will be making glass sun catchers in a crafty session in the Messy PlayZone.

• The Lodgers staying with us will be hoping for a STRIKE when they go bowling today.

• Maxigiene is servicing the TMVs across the hospice and taking water samples for testing today and tomorrow.

• Derian Dads group for our bereaved dads will take place in the Seaside Room from 7:00pm – 9:30pm.

THURSDAY 15^th

• We’ll be making paper plate polar bears today in the Messy PlayZone.

• Join us in Danni’s Diner as we make yummy baked goodies to take home.

• There’ll be another baby massage visit today.

• The first Mums at Derian group will take place in the Seaside Room for our lovely Derian Mums from 7:00pm – 9:30pm.

• The first of the year NEET day care groups will be held in the Lodge.

• Our first Values Workshop will be held in Vinten Meeting Room, and will be an opportunity to be involved in our values work. Please email Karen (HR) to book on.

• We Are Derian will be held in the Seaside Room from 1:30pm – 2:30pm. Feel free to turn up, find out about updates, and share news about your area of work.

FRIDAY 16^th

• Sounds great! A music and movement morning will take place in the hospice this morning.

• Our Wellbeing Team will be off out for some play in the community visits today.

SATURDAY 17^th

• Let’s splash about in the hydrotherapy pool this morning.

• Tweet tweet – our children and young people will be making bird feeders in the Messy PlayZone this afternoon.

• Family Stay & Play for our children will take place in the Conference Room from 1:30pm – 3:00pm today.

SUNDAY 18^th 

• It’s National Winnie the Pooh day! We’ll be celebrating with crafts in the morning, and a 100 Acre Wood scavenger hunt.

STAFF NEWS

• Congratulations are in order for our CEO, Karen, who got married to her partner Chris on December 31^st in a ceremony held at Gretna Green.

• Tanya gave birth to a healthy little girl – Rosie Grace – on New Years Eve at 1:14am, weighing 4.6kg. Congrats!

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Thanks so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between 19 – 25 January, please send an email to murray@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday 15 January.

Have a great week everyone!

Hello Team Derian, Happy New Year 🙂

Welcome back to everyone after the festive break, hopefully everyone managed to get some time off and enjoy the break, and here’s hoping 2026 is a wonderful year for you all.

Here’s just a few updates to keep you tuned in to the developments across the charity…..

1. First week back and the senior leaders have been cracking on with the strategy refresh process.  We’ve held 2 of the 6 workshops so far, and are making good progress.  Wednesday session especially brought the group together on what is important for the charity going forward.  Caroline will share more details in an update specifically about the strategy.

2. I spent an hour with Kerry in fundraising earlier in the week to chat through all the events that are planned for the year.  If you haven’t got a list please do grab one, we’ve got so much planned including a few new events.  It’s a busy programme and will hopefully raise a significant amount for our work.  There are lots of opportunities for staff and volunteers to get involved.

3. As you know I am currently leading the recruitment and appointment of new trustees.  We are almost complete on the recruitment of a clinical trustee, and a media/PR trustee, I hope to be able to announce these very soon.  In addition we are meeting a social care/safeguarding trustee next week.  Over the Christmas period Helen Curtis stepped down from the trustee board due to an increasing commitment required to her family, she has asked me to pass on her thanks to everyone for the great work that you all do and that she hopes to be involved again at some time in the future.

4. In the run up to Xmas we were busy with recruitment.  I can confirm that we appointed Matt Kilbane as our new Finance Director, Matt will start in a couple of months, and Kal will continue to support us until that point.  In addition we have appointed to the HR & OD Manager role, and Helen Southworth will join us at the end of March.

5. We will be advertising a number of roles over the next few weeks, once the budget has been approved for the coming financial year.

6. This week HR are updating the holiday records on SMI for 2026 and we will communicate once this has been completed. In the meantime, colleagues are still able to book holidays for 2026; their entitlement may just not show what they might be expecting.

7. Currently colleagues are using the finance distribution list “DL Finance” for specific queries or requests, which means every finance team member gets the email. This can cause confusion as to who should be responding, often leading to two or three colleagues looking at the same email. Can I ask colleagues to please use the finance mailbox “Finance” going forward. This should allow for the query or request to be directed to the correct colleague only and hopefully helping the team to resolve queries a bit quicker. It also helps to make the finance team a bit more resilient if a colleague is on leave.

8. The Shared Care Record (SCR) continues to significantly enhance clinical practice at Derian House by enabling seamless access to key patient information. This reduces the need for families to repeat their stories and strengthens continuity, safety and quality of care across services.  Derian House has taken a regional leadership role in showcasing SCR, supporting and inspiring other hospices to adopt the system in partnership with the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB). This work has positioned Derian House as an exemplar in digital care integration and information sharing.  From January 2026, Derian House has successfully collaborated with the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board through the Care Database to support the Care Shared Record across the Greater Manchester area. This development represents a significant milestone and now enables shared record access for all children supported by Derian House across the North West.

9. The senior team are actively in the recruitment process to fill the huge shoes that Bridget leaves at the end of the month.  A first stage process has taken place today and we hope to move forward with second stage over the coming weeks, where colleagues will be able to get involved in the process.

10. Parking on the drive is a potential obstruction for emergency vehicles, therefore please consider this when parking your vehicle.  In addition, Signing in and out of all visitors and guests, I appreciate it is a tough time for some people but members of staff have been seen to wave people through and tell them they don’t need to sign in.  This breaches our policies and procedures so please do ensure everyone signs in and out.

11. And finally we’re launching a special partnership with a large sports club over the coming weeks, we are unable to share who or what, as it is embargoed, but it will be huge and we can’t wait to shout about it !

Thank everyone, any questions please let me know…

HOSPICE OPENING & CLOSING DAYS

• The hospice is open throughout with stay and plays all week.

MONDAY 24th

• O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree! United Utilities are delivering two Christmas trees – one for outside of reception and one to go into the Sensory Garden (this may happen today or tomorrow!)
• Urmson are also here today carrying out fire damper testing.
• This morning, our children and young people are painting in the messy room and later today they will be watching a film in the cinema.
• The Play and Wellbeing Team will also be delivering play in the community.
• Swimming lessons are taking place this afternoon.

TUESDAY 25th

• Playgroup takes place this morning in the Seaside Room.
• Our in-house CYP will be relaxing with sensory stories and massage this morning before an afternoon of festive crafts including advent calendar and Christmas card making.
• Derian babies will be enjoying baby massage on community visits today.
• Jo and Ted will be visiting for Pet Therapy at 1:30pm.
• The electric meter is being replaced in the Blackburn shop today.
• GOOD LUCK to the Derian Dynamos who are competing in the pentathlon multi-sports competition today!

WEDNESDAY 26th

• Our in-house children and young people will be taking part in some messy, sensory fun this morning before making a splash in the hydrotherapy pool this afternoon.
• Rachel Toner will be visiting for our weekly sing-a-long.
• The bereaved dads group are visiting The Flower Bowl this evening to play a game of crazy golf.

THURSDAY 27th

• Jump Children’s Charity are visiting us today to treat our in-house CYP and five lucky families to a memory making photography experience.
• We’ll be wrapping up warm and playing on Sunshine Park this morning before cosying up with Tac Pac and stories.
• NEET day care is taking place today in The Lodge.
• The project manager from Innova is visiting to scope the work on replacing the hoist system in The Lodge.
• Take the opportunity to relax your mind and leave your emotional challenges to one side for half an hour. Join John in the cinema from 4pm for guided meditation.
• Paul Woodward is meeting with Lucy and some of the bereaved dads this evening to carry out some filming for a small spin off documentary to ‘The Little Things.’

FRIDAY 28th

• Our in-house children and young people will be making winter bird feeders this morning before heading out on a trip in the bus this afternoon.

• Derian babies will be enjoying baby massage at home today.

SATURDAY 29th

• The youth family drop-in session takes place today.
• We’ll be baking in the dining room this morning and taking a winter walk to Astley Park later in the day before cosying up with a story.

SUNDAY 30th

• Happy St. Andrews Day!
• Our in-house children and young people will be having fun in the hydrotherapy pool this morning and taking part in some St. Andrew’s Day inspired crafts this afternoon including design their own tartan.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Thanks so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between 1 – 7 December, please send an email to rabbett@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday 27 November.

Have a great week everyone!

Last week, our new Derian Values sessions for staff kicked off in the Seaside Room, as we look to reflect where we are on our values journey.

We want to take time to review our values, so that they match where Derian House is now – and how they can be fit for the future.

As the values are for staff, by staff – and are essential to everything we do – we want as many colleagues involved as possible, along with our Board of Trustees and volunteers.

If you didn’t get chance to visit the first session, please look out for more coming soon. In the meantime, you can fill out the short survey below so that we can grasp a better understanding of what YOU think of the current Derian Values.

Derian Values – Fill out form

“Derian House made it possible for me to spend my special day as a mum as opposed to being a carer. It can be hard to find childcare for a complex child like Oliver, and we are so grateful that we have Derian to help – they went above and beyond.” ✨

There were smiles and happy tears all round as eight-year-old Oliver, who requires round-the-clock care, was able to attend his mum’s wedding with the help of staff from Derian House 💒

Mum Samantha Dolan had just one wedding wish – for all three of her sons to be there as she walked down the aisle at Holland Hall, in Skelmersdale, on Friday 24th October 👰🏼‍♀️

Her son Oliver fell ill at just four weeks old, suffering from meningitis and a hypoxic brain injury. As a result, he struggles with movement and sight, and needs oxygen to breathe due to a chest condition, requiring 24/7 care 🫶

But despite everything, Oliver, now eight, was able to celebrate at the wedding alongside his brothers Jacob and Benjamin, and the rest of the family – with help from two members of our team from the hospice 💫

We’re so glad that we could help make Samantha and Christopher’s very special day even more special, and that they could relax and enjoy it without having to worry 💚

HOSPICE OPENING & CLOSING DAYS

• The hospice is open all week.

MONDAY 17th

• Today is World Prematurity Day and our in-house children and young people will be creating collages using all things purple, the colour associated with World Prematurity Day.
• Popcorn and snacks at the ready, its movie time this afternoon for our in-house CYP!
• Swimming lessons are taking place between 3 – 7pm.

TUESDAY 18th

• Playgroup will be held in the Seaside Room this morning, where our babies and toddlers will be enjoying a morning of music, messy play and fun from 10 – 11:30am.
• Our in-house children and young people will be getting messy with (clean!) mud before making a splash in the hydrotherapy pool this afternoon.
• The Play and Wellbeing Team will be delivering therapeutic play in the community today.

WEDNESDAY 19th

• Rainbow Hub are using the hydrotherapy pool this morning.
• The winter weather has definitely arrived and our in-house children and young people will be making snowflake pictures before warming up this afternoon in their rebound therapy session.
• Music teacher Rachel will be here to entertain us with an hour of music fun.
• Derian babies will be enjoying baby massage at home today.

THURSDAY 20th

• Strike! Today we’re holding a sensory bowling competition for our in-house children and young people.
• We have 10 corporate volunteers from The Acorn Group joining us to help with Christmas preparations.
• The facilities team (minus Sam) are on a Ladder Inspection course here at the hospice.
• This afternoon, our CYP will be taking a walk to Chorley Library to enjoy story time.
• Derian volunteers are representing us at the Anwyl Homes open evening tonight in Warrington. There will be tombola fun and Derian Christmas cards on sale, and a special appearance from Ted the therapy dog.

FRIDAY 21st

• Today is National Gingerbread Day!
• Our children and young people will be exploring using their senses during the morning and making delicious gingerbread biscuits this afternoon.

SATURDAY 22nd

• In-house hydrotherapy is taking place today.
• Denise is hosting the Derian Mum’s retreat today between 10am – 4pm. The mums will be treated to relaxing aromatherapy and exploring crystals, journaling and the moon circle.
• Our in-house CYP will be enjoying sensory stories this afternoon.
• Derian volunteers are representing us at the Preston Marriott Christmas Light Switch On this evening. Our volunteers will be spreading awareness and selling festive chocolate oranges.

SUNDAY 23rd

• We’ll be having fun on Sunshine Park this morning and creating name collage art this afternoon.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Thanks so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between 24 – 30 November, please send an email to rabbett@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday 20 November.

Have a great week everyone!

Hello everyone, please find below an update on all things Derian House:

1. Thank you to everyone for making me so welcome in my new office in the hospice, I am absolutely loving spending time there, speaking to staff  and volunteers, and seeing our children/young adults and their families, I absolutely love the noise of the corridor!
2. CQC Inspection.  We are still awaiting our draft report, which we are expecting any time in the next couple of weeks.  We will have an opportunity to feedback about any points of the report that we believe to be factually incorrect, before the final report is shared.  I will keep everyone updated as soon as we know more.
3. One of the key things that staff fed back as part of the CQC staff survey was around the use of the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian process, and so we are currently reviewing that and will advise any changes to help support its use going forward.
4. Karen (HR) and Caroline are leading a piece of work on our values, you’ll have received an email inviting you to give some feedback on our current values, and the We Are Derian Forum attendees took part I an exercise today looking at how the values are lived through our work.  There will be lots of opportunity to get involved and determine whether the values are fit for purpose for Derian now and I the future, and your input is essential in that, so please do get involved.
5. We are reviewing the current strategic plan.  This is a 3month project which is being externally facilitated and many of the leaders across the charity will be involved.  In addition we want all colleagues and volunteers to have their thoughts and opinions heard so keep an eye out over the coming weeks about how you can do so.
6. As many of you will know Bridget has decided to retire and will leave her current role at the end of January.  We are keen to keep Bridget connected to the hospice and so we are considering what role Bridget could play going forward.  In terms of filling the Clinical Director role we are taking a few weeks to consider what we will require.
7. We interviewed for a number of roles recently.  We have a new PA for Directors starting soon, and a new HR administrator.  The named nurse role wasn’t filled so we will look at this again in the New Year and we are hoping to appoint to the Director of Children and families role in the next week.
8. It’s that time of year where we are setting next year’s budget.  Please speak to your team managers and Directors about how you can get involved in the budget setting for your area of work.
9. Anthony will be rolling out Vantage training over the next month so please keep an eye open for the invites, this is open to all colleagues and its important everyone knows how to log an incident appropriately.

• And finally… yes… the C word has very much arrived !! We’re all looking forward to a wonderful festive season both in terms of fundraising and creating the most wonderful of memories for our children and families.

Any questions or if you want to have a chat with me at any time, please let me know.

Thanks everyone for all your hard work.

Eventura will be migrating the Q drive to Azure this Wednesday 29^th October at 9.30am.  During this process, the Q drive will be unavailable for about one hour. Before the migration, please save and close all work on the Q drive to prevent data loss. Once the migration is complete, you’ll receive a confirmation email. After that, please follow these steps:

After Migration
1) close everything you have open and proceed to restart your machine. This can be done by right clicking on the start menu, then going to “Shut down or sign out” and then selecting “restart”:

2) Once your machine has restarted, please ensure you are connected to the network before logging back in. This can be achieved by either connecting a network cable to your machine or by connecting to “Derian Secure” wifi. To connect to the wif you will need to click on the internet icon at the bottom of your login screen (see below image).  You need to authenticate with the secure wifi using your username and password that you use to log onto the machine with. Once connected you can then log back into your machine and you can check then to see if the Q drive is available for you. 

If the Q Drive Shows a Red Cross

If you can see the Q drive but it shows a red cross and you’re unable to access it, then it will have to be manually mapped. This can be achieved by doing the following:

1) Right click on the Q drive and select “Disconnect”:

This should now disappear.

2) You will now need to right click on “This PC” (this is above the Q drive) and select “Map network drive”:

3) From the drop down for “Drive” select “Q”. In the folder location enter \\stderianhousefiles.file.core.windows.net\data and then ensure “reconnect at sign-in” is checked:

Once it looks like the above, please select “Finish” and the Q drive should be available for you again.

If anyone has any issues, please raise a ticket with Eventura Servicedesk either by calling 0333 240 9946 or emailing servicedesk@eventura.com – a member of the Eventura team will also be on site to assist if need be.

Please inform your teams about the above if they are due in on Wednesday and won’t see this beforehand, this also applies to any volunteers that use a PC/laptop.

Kind Regards

Kirsty Yates

HOSPICE OPENING & CLOSING DAYS

• The hospice is open all week.

MONDAY 20th

• Our in-house children and young people will be enjoying autumn themed messy play this morning and watching movies in the cinema later today.
• 3 air conditioning units are being installed in the new offices today, the work is expected to finish on Wednesday.
• The Northern Children’s Hospice Collaborative is meeting today at Derian. Chief executives from 10 hospices across the region will come together to discuss a new data project we’ll be working on together.
• Swimming lessons are taking place this afternoon.
• There is a neonatal palliative care training session on the use of cooling technologies in perinatal after death taking place online at 2pm. This will be shown in the skills lab or if you would like the link, please email education@derianhouse.co.uk

TUESDAY 21st

• Playgroup will be taking place in the Seaside Room this morning.
• The medicines management committee will be meeting in the conference room at 10am.
• Our in-house children and young people will be doing some autumn inspired arts and crafts this morning and having fun and playing on Sunshine Park this afternoon.
• Play and Wellbeing will be delivering therapeutic play in the community today.
• We are holding a PA drop-in session at Bolton FC for our young people and their carers to take part in multi-sport games together between 11am – 1pm.
• There will be a cold debrief in the conference room at 1:30pm facilitated by Victoria Robinson.

WEDNESDAY 22nd  

• Our children and young people are off out on a trip this morning and exploring sensory stories back at the hospice this afternoon.
• Play and Wellbeing will be delivering therapeutic play in the community today.
• Our Cornerstones support group are watching ‘Bank of Dave 2’ in the cinema today.
• Rachel Toner will be joining us for a sing-a-long hour this morning.

THURSDAY 23rd

• We’re going on an autumn scavenger hunt!
• NEET day care for our young people not in education, employment or training is happening today in The Lodge.
• The quarterly LMT Connect meeting is taking place today. Managers from across the hospice will get together to discuss the work happening in their areas.
• There will be in-house hydrotherapy this afternoon.

FRIDAY 24th

• Nick Carroll, CEO of Together for Short Lives, will be visiting Derian House for the day for a tour and to meet with Karen and directors to understand more about our work.
• Our in-house children and young people will be doing Halloween crafts this morning before a music and movement session this afternoon.
• Derian babies will be enjoying baby massage on community visits with Tina today.
• Friday Night Club will be doing the Monster Mash at their Halloween Party tonight between 6 – 9pm.

SATURDAY 25th  

• There will be in-house hydrotherapy this morning.
• Our Youth family drop-in session takes place today between 1:30 – 3pm.
• We’re playing smell bingo this afternoon!

SUNDAY 26th

• This morning we’re going for a walk to the park before playing (and relaxing!) in the Sensory Room.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• There are just 2 weeks leftto register for our Information Evening for our Sahara Desert Trek 2026. On Tuesday 4th November at 6:30pm, we will open our doors for our supporters to come along and learn all about the once in a lifetime challenge next year. If anyone would like to attend please visit the following link https://www.derianhouse.co.uk/events/saharadeserttrek/ and fill out the form, or email salmon@derianhouse.co.uk to reserve your place.
• Next week:The pharmacist will be coming back in again on 7 November, to provide flu vaccines for those who were unable to attend last time.
• Check out our current vacancies Careers | Derian House Children’s Hospice
• Thanks so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between 27 October – 2 November, please send an email to rabbett@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday 23 October.

Have a great week everyone!

Hi everyone,

On Friday 31^st October, we can wear Halloween t-shirts to celebrate spooky season – please adhere to IPC when choosing your outfits.

HOSPICE OPENING & CLOSING DAYS

• This week, we have children and young people booked in from Tuesday 7th to Sunday 12th October.

MONDAY 6th

• Closed for in-house respite.
• Eventura are on site to continue switching the main hospice over to the new network (Sam will be with them).
• The drop-in flu vaccine clinic is available between 9am – 4:30pm in the Music Room and is free for all staff and volunteers.
• Today we welcome three new nurses to Team Derian, say hello to Kirsty Loyns, Laura Pollitt and Bethany Parkinson!

TUESDAY 7th

• Playgroup will be taking place in the Seaside Room today.
• Spooky season has officially arrived and we will be putting up Halloween decorations in The Lodge.
• Our in-house children and young people will be having fun and playing games on Sunshine Park this morning before a music and movement session this afternoon.

WEDNESDAY 8th

• We’ll be making autumn wreaths in Messy Play today.
• Rachel Toner will be joining us for a sing-a-long hour this morning.
• Our Pets as Therapy dog, Ted, will be visiting us this afternoon for lots of cuddles.
• In-house CYP will be enjoying fun and splashes in the hydrotherapy pool this afternoon.
• Our support group for bereaved mums meets this evening, they will be experiencing a Reiki drumming circle followed by Halloween crafts.

THURSDAY 9th   

• A therapeutic TacPac session will be held in the Sensory Room this morning.
• NEET day care for our young people not in education, employment or training.
• Popcorn and snacks at the ready, its movie time!

FRIDAY 10th

• Our children and young people will be taking part in sensory tactile play in the Messy PlayZone this morning and baking yummy treats to take home this afternoon.
• Our siblings group, Chill Out and Chat, will be meeting in the Seaside Room tonight from 6:30pm – 9pm.

SATURDAY 11th

• There will be in-house swimming this morning before we snuggle up to listen to our favourite fairy tales.
• The Lodgers will be doing some autumn themed crafts followed by a trip to the park.
• Danni’s Club for siblings will be getting together this afternoon in the Seaside Room from 1:30pm – 4pm.

SUNDAY 12th

• Eye’s down… We’re playing prize bingo!
• Our in-house children and young people are off on a woodland walk and taking part in a nature scavenger hunt.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Check out our current vacancies Careers | Derian House Children’s Hospice
• Thanks so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between 13 – 19 October, please send an email to rabbett@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday 9 October.

Hello everyone, I hope that you’re all well.

I wanted to provide a brief update on a number of matters across the charity so that you’re all up to speed.

1. Strategic Plan and priorities.  Now that we have a new Chair of Trustees and will be recruiting additional members of the Board, I have been asked to revisit our current strategic priorities and provide clarity on strategic KPIs and objectives across all departments.  To enable the team and I to do this we are engaging an external consultant who will facilitate a number of workshops over the coming weeks so that we are able to present a new strategic plan to Trustees in early 2026.
2. Caroline and Karen (HR) will be leading a piece of work over the coming week alongside the strategy review process, to ensure that our current values are fit for purpose and support our ambitious plans.
3. Growth is central to this new plan, particularly across our non-clinical service delivery and we will be appointing a new Director position to help to lead that growth going forward.
4. My role will become much more strategic and driving progress against our new strategic plan and therefore the board have supported the creation of a new role, a Deputy CEO position.  Following a competitive process I am delighted to share with you all that Caroline Taylor has been appointed and officially takes that position from today, the 1^st Caroline will retain all of her current responsibilities, we will provide some backfilling support to free her up a day or so a week to focus on the developmental side of her new role.
5. The new offices in the hospice are almost completed.  Thank you everyone for putting up with the noise and inconvenience caused when having building works carried out.  I’m sure it has been very frustrating, but it is very much coming to an end this week.
6. As you all know The Little Things has been one of the most innovative and empowering projects that we have been part of over recent years.  Its ability to reach all over the world and put children hospice work directly into people’s living rooms is so special and unique.  To recognise all that Paul Woodward has achieved and contributed to Derian House I have personally asked him to become a Patron of the charity, which he has accepted.  Paul joins Kiki Deville as our 2^nd
7. As engagement with our families is central to everything that we do, we are developing a Family Experience Strategy which will outline clearly our commitment across the whole organisation of how we put families at the heart of everything that we do.  I’m hoping to share this with everyone very soon.

As always, my door ( or doors now that I have 2 spaces J) is always open, feel free to let me know what’s happening in your area of the charity.

Thanks everyone

Hello Everyone,

Whilst it’s a lovely sunny day today, I’m about to remind everyone that we will shortly be feeling the colder weather as we head into the Autumn and Winter seasons!

With this in mind, I’m pleased we are able to support all colleagues (staff and volunteers) with the flu vaccine this year, which is kindly being provided by the ICB.

All details on how to get yourself protected are below.

WHAT’S ON WEEKLY @ DERIAN HOUSE

Monday 22nd September – Sunday 28th September

HOSPICE OPENING & CLOSING DAYS

• The hospice is opened to planned care Monday 22nd September until the evening of Saturday 27th September. There are care team staff on call for Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th September, for any unplanned admissions. Planned stays resume on Monday 29th September.

MONDAY 22nd  

• Work starts on the Care Team office today to create five individual offices on the right-hand side.
• Our in-house children and young people will be taking part in some messy, tactile sensory fun this morning and playing prize bingo this afternoon.
• Swimming lessons with Caroline are taking place today.

TUESDAY 23rd  

• Playgroup with Donna is taking place this morning in the Seaside Room.
• Our children and young people will be doing arts and crafts in the Messy Play Zone this morning and baking yummy treats to take home this afternoon.
• Basic Life Support training for non-clinical staff and volunteers is taking place in the Clinical Skills Lab from 10am – 11:30am.
• We are holding a Gifts in Wills information event today in the Seaside Room from 1pm – 2:30pm. All staff are welcome to attend. Find out how to get started with writing your Will (there will be also be cake and hot drinks!)

WEDNESDAY 24th

• The Youth Team together with Dawn A, Tanya M and a group of young people and families with be presenting at a ‘Transition Care Conference’ at Shaw Hill in collaboration with St Catherine’s Hospice.
• A therapeutic TacPac session with Donna will be held in the Sensory Room this morning.
• Derian babies will be enjoying baby massage on community visits today.
• Cornerstones bereaved grandparents group is taking place in the Seaside Room today between 10am-12pm.
• Please join us in the Seaside Room from 2pm to congratulate John Boe on his retirement. Cake and refreshments will be available, everyone is welcome.
• Our in-house CYP are off on a mini bus outing with Claire this afternoon!

THURSDAY 25th

• Happy Payday!
• We are having two new door readers installed – one in the reflection area, and one on the external door to the main hospice (opposite the Seaside Room).
• Our children and young people staying in-house will be going on a sensory journey this morning and enjoying fun and splashes in the hydrotherapy pool this afternoon.
• Day care is taking place in The Lodge for our young people who are not in education, employment or training.
• Tina and Caroline will be delivering baby massage and therapeutic play in the community today.

FRIDAY 26th

• Today our children and young people will be doing autumn themed crafts before snuggling down with their favourite stories this afternoon.
• Join Hayleigh in the Clinical Skills Lab from 1:30pm for the next controlled drugs training.
• Friday Night Club for our over 18’s will take place in the Lodge Lounge/Kitchen from 6:30pm this evening.

SATURDAY 27th

• This morning our children and young people will be making a splash in the hydrotherapy pool before wrapping up warm for a walk in Astley Park to collect autumn treasures.
• Our Youth Family Drop-in event takes place today where our older children and young people are able to spend quality time with their families and enjoy a range of games, crafts and other activities.

SUNDAY 28th

• Closed for in-house respite.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• We’ve teamed up with 143 hospices across the country to raise awareness of the importance of gifts in Wills. Look out for the Hospice UK advert on TV and let us know if you see it!
• Kirsty Yates is away on annual leave until 6th October, please log all IT issues with Eventura or Sam Lamb.
• We are currently recruiting for: GP Advisor, Director of Children and Family Services, Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children and Adults.For more information visit the careers section of our website.
• Thanks so much for sending your news this week. If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to between 29 September – 5 October, please send an email to rabbett@derianhouse.co.uk before Thursday 25 September.

Have a great week everyone!

Good morning everyone,

Last night, we launched our brand new Fundraising Video which has been many months in the making. A huge thanks to all of the staff and volunteers who agreed to take part, be that in an interview or background artist role! 🙂

You can find the link to it on YouTube here:

Derian House Fundraising Video 2025

This is a tool that we can all use, be that to engage new supporters, reach new families, or in training and external meetings to show who we are and what we do.

I’ve put a copy of the video in the Q Drive > Drop Zone (3 Months) so you can save it to your own drives/use in your own presentations.

Thank you and enjoy 🙂